Do you have to have a 4 year teaching degree to teach dance?

Question

What if I get a dancer's degree? Would that be sufficient to become a dance teacher in New Jersey?

Answer 1

You don't need a degree to teach dance and, in fact, for some places, it may not be the right kind of training. Some studios are more interested in whether you've passed the advanced and/or teacher levels of their graded syllabus that makes you certified to teach in that style. Other elite schools are more interested in whether you've had professional performing experience. Meanwhile, to teach dance in PUBLIC schools, I highly suspect that New Jersey (like all states these days with NCLB), requires a proper teaching certificate via an education program in college. Some college dance programs include such a teaching/pedagogy track and some do not.

Even if you're not looking to teach in a public school, you should still look for a program that includes a focus in teaching. Otherwise, most college programs are geared towards performance and you could wind up with very little teaching practice. Of course, after years and years of taking dance classes, you COULD use your basic dance degree to go into teaching dance by just working out your own methods.

Hope that helps.

Answer 2

To teach in any public or private school system you will need a 4 year degree and a teaching cert of course. Nothing is formally needed to teach at a dance studio, but most of those who do own and/or teach there have either a 4 year degree and/or some degree of professional dance experience.

Answer 3

You don't need any type of formal training actually, it's not like you're becoming a doctor or anything. I am only 17 and i have taught at my studio for years. My cousin owns the studio and she went to school for dance but never got her degree. Also our ballet, hiphop, and lyrical teachers area all in college and only one is going to get her dance degree. The others are getting theirs in elementary education and organic chemistry and nuclear physics (far from a degree in dance lol)

Answer 4

I am a dance teacher and I've never had a college dance class, but I've had 23 years of training. To teach privatly, ther are no requiremnets, unless specified by your employer, but you MUST have a general knowledge in dance to teach. I can play chopsticks on the piano, but I would never dream of trying to teach piano!!!!!!

Answer 5

To teach privately, you need nothing.
To get in a studio or school, it would be advised.
Of course, as in any art field, if you have crazy talent, you might be able to get by without the schooling. However, in this day and age, a lot of people have crazy skills, AND they have the education to back it up.

Answer 6

No I don't. But yes- you probably could.